Rapture
by PennyLane216
Summary: Hermione has taken on the post of assistant potions mistress at Hogwarts. She has to work alongside Snape. He's treating her strangely and Hermione doesn't know how to take it.
1. Chapter 1

It was a cool morning and Hermione Granger found herself nervously awaiting the arrival of the Hogwarts Express. It was her first time returning to Hogwarts in five years and she didn't know how to feel about it.

Usually, this was a time of giddy excitement during which she would pace anxiously, waiting for her friends to arrive.

This time, however, no one was going to be there to greet her. The only friendly faces she would encounter on the train were those of the teachers that she so highly esteemed in her school days. Then, she admired them as teachers but this time around she would have to consider them her colleagues. It felt strange to think of them that way.

She couldn't picture herself walking about the school removing house points and calling her former teachers Minerva and Filius. She laughed softly at the thought.

After a short time, the train appeared before her and she boarded. She walked along the corridor to the back of the train. She wanted to find a compartment for herself before the students began arriving. She found a compartment that was near the exit and quickly cast a locking spell before settling down.

After about twenty minutes, she could hear students piling onto the train. Talking loudly and excitedly. As she looked about the cabin she missed the company that she usually had on this trip.

She could faintly hear the boys laughing and playing exploding snap, yelling at each other when the cards snapped at their fingers. She smiled sadly and looked away, staring out the window. She'd only been there about an hour and she felt lonely already. Hopefully, she thought, this won't be a long year.

Once they arrived, Hermione wasted no time in vacating the train. She walked as briskly as she could onto one of the carriages which began to move once she was seated. It seemed as though the thestral sensed that she wanted to be alone. That or it knew that she was a professor and therefore would not want to be joined by any students on the way.

Once the carriage stopped, she hopped out and walked directly into the entrance hall. Once inside she was faced with a slightly annoyed looking Snape. He looked different than he had when she last saw him. It had been about six and half years since then. He looked younger and fresher. It appeared that working as a double agent hadn't really made him the most irresistible man on the planet. Not that he was irresistable now. Oh, he looked better, younger, more muscular. His skin had lost it's unhealthy sallow appearance and his face didn't seem to be in a permanent scowl as it had before. She felt as though this was the way he should have looked when she was a Hogwarts student. He looked about 15 years younger and although he was frowning, she could tell by his demeanor and overall appearance that he was finally happy. The weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Upon feeling a pair of eyes boring down on him, he looked over in her direction. He squinted slightly and then his eyebrows rose a fraction when he spotted her before his expression returned to it's usual expression as he looked down at her.

"Miss Granger," he began in an irritated and impatient tone, "I'm here to collect you and show you to your quarters."

"Hello Professor." she greeted coolly. She didn't appreciate being spoken to as if she were just an irritating child. It had been years since she'd been a student at the school and she was not about to just jump back into the part. "It's nice to see you." She tried to say it pleasantly but instead it came out with a hint of sarcasm.

He ignored her comments. "Follow me." He said briskly as he turned. She followed him up the stairs to the seventh floor and into a corridor which she knew was near the Gryffindor common room. This made her feel slightly more at ease.

Finally, before they reached the end of the corridor, Snape abruptly stopped and gestured towards a painting with a picture of a man with a walrus mustache. Upon closer inspection, she realized she had seen this painting many times but it used to hang in the antechamber of the Great Hall. "Hello Milady," He began with a bow. "I am Sir Baxter Hughes of Bourbon. You must be Professor Granger."

"Yes, hello," she said smiling politely. "Wasn't your portrait closer to the Great Hall before?" She asked curiously.

"Well, yes actually. Once I realized that they were looking for a portrait to guard a new professor's quarters I jumped at the chance. Violet's presence for the last 50 years was more than I could take." He finished with a grim expression.

"Anyways, I'm happy to be of service regardless of the circumstances." He smiled.

"Once you're done with the idle chit chat," interrupted Snape. "you are to set your password and join the rest of the school at the feast. Once it is completed we will discuss your duties." With that he turned and walked away. She rolled her eyes and looked back at the man in the portrait.

"Well Sir Hughes-" She was interrupted.

"Please, call me Baxter." He said.

"Very well, Baxter. Shall we set the password?"

"Indeed."

Concentrating, she tried to think of a good password. "Erudite." She finally said.

"Excellent. Would you like to get settled in?" He asked.

"No, but I'll be back in a short while. I shouldn't be late to the feast."

"Very well Professor Granger. I bid you adieu." With that he walked out of his portrait.


	2. Chapter 2

Once she arrived at the Great Hall, she walked determinedly up to the head table.

As she approached she saw that there was a professor seated by Flitwick whom she had never seen before. He had dark hair that was almost black pulled back into a pony tail and very light blue eyes that were surrounded by long lashes.

As she approached, he smiled charmingly at her and winked. She smiled slightly and walked around to table to be seated between Snape and McGonagall.

Abruptly, she saw Snape scowl. She couldn't imagine how her presence made him so angry but as she glanced at him he was pointedly ignoring her gaze and staring down intently at his food as he ate. She decided it best that she didn't acknowledge him if he was so keen on ignoring her very existence.

"Hello Dear." The older witch greeted her with a hug.

"Hello Professor!" she smiled brightly.

She took her place at the table.

"Miss Granger," Snape greeted stiffly. She looked at him in surprise. He was casually eating his meal. If she didn't know better she would have thought that he hadn't uttered a word.

She frowned slightly in confusion and greeted him. "Professor," she said somewhat politely.

Once she was seated at the head table, Dumbledore rose to give his speech. Although she usually listened intently to his address, she found herself completely distracted by the hundreds of faces looking up at the head table. Many students were looking at her curiously and whispering to one another.

Finally, she turned her attention to Dumbledore's speech.

"- pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. First, Professor Granger, who will be assisting Professor Snape in his duties as Potions Master. She has just recently acquired her Potions degree at the Oxford University School of Magical Studies. I hope that you will all join me in giving her a warm welcome." The students clapped as well as some of the teachers and the headmaster smiled politely at her before turning to look at the students again.

"As to our second new appointment, well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Herthpenew, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by renowned dragon tamer Vincent Rathgarge." At this the students clapped enthusiastically and she heard a faint snort from her right where Snape was situated.

Once they had settled down, Dumbledore continued.

"Well, I think that is everything of importance. Let the feast begin!"

At this, the food appeared on the table. She began to fill her plate with the delicious Hogwarts cuisine. She had forgotten how good it was.

As she reached for a baguette her hand came in contact with something warm. It took her brain a minute to realize that her hand was on Snape's. Their eyes connected. Slowly, leaving the baguette behind, he pulled his hand away from hers and placed it on the table. Quickly, he looked away from her and frowned at his food. She looked back at her plate trying to ignore what had just happened.

A minute later, Snape excused himself and left the table.

As she watched him walk out she rubbed her hand against her robes, trying to get the feeling of his warm palm under hers out of her mind. Quickly she finished her meal and returned to her quarters.

"Hello Baxter." She greeted.

"Hello Professor. How was your meal?"

"Delightful and please, call me Hermione. Erudite." She stated smiling.

"Very well, Hermione." He said as he swung open to let her in.

As she walked inside she saw her new quarters for the first time.

"Lumos." she said clearly.

It was a large room with a fireplace, armchairs, a sofa and a large desk. It was beautifully decorated with Gryffindor colors but not overly so. The draperies were lush and there were some large windows through which she could plainly see the night's sky. Above the mantelpiece was a frame in which the Gryffindor crest was lodged.

It was just so beautiful and it was exactly as she would've wanted it. As she walked through the room she continued through the door in the far corner into her bedroom.

What was behind it was a bedroom with a large bed, perhaps between what would be considered queen and king size in the muggle world.

It had dark green linens that were covered in a gold embroidery that truly complimented the colors throughout the room. The wood of the bed and armoire were a dark mahogany and the draperies matched the linens. They were dark green and just at the bottom was the same beautiful gold embroidery.

She was elated to find that her quarter were much more than she could've dreamed. She looked at the clock to see that it was still somewhat early. She remembered that Snape had told her that he would explain to her what her duties were before the end of the night. Obviously he had forgotten.

She didn't know if it would be a good idea to go looking for him. Perhaps it would be best if she just waited until tomorrow. However, she was almost sure that she had a class to teach tomorrow morning and it wouldn't go over well if she missed her first class of the term.

Reluctantly she walked out of her rooms and walked towards the dungeons.

Luckily, Snape's classroom, office and quarters were all connected to each other. Otherwise, she probably would've had to have asked Baxter assistance in the matter. Surely the paintings throughout the castle knew where everything was.

As she walked through the dungeons she pulled her robes more tightly around herself. It was always bloody freezing down here in the day. At this time of night it could practically be considered a tundra.

Finally, she reached the door of Snape's classroom. Softly, she knocked on the door. After a minute, she knocked again, this time harder. Again, she heard nothing. She wondered if perhaps he couldn't hear her from where he was. There were two rooms between her and his quarters after all. She knocked again. This time was more like banging. Not a second later, the door was ripped open. "What?" He growled at her. She took an unsteady step back.

Nervously, she started. "Hello Professor. I'm sorry to have bothered you. I didn't mean--"

"Didn't mean?" He started in a deadly quiet voice. His eyes were squinted at her angrily. "If you didn't mean to then _why_ were you banging on my door so loud that you could wake the dead?" He finished the question with a loud voice.

"Sir, I assumed--"

"Oh, you assumed. Now I understand. In your devastatingly simple-minded existence, it makes absolute sense to practically break down the door of someone who obviously is choosing not to be near you. Can you not take an obvious hint, you insufferable, idiotic little girl?" He snarled.

She was silent. She looked up at him with unshed tears. Upon realizing her reaction his face soften.

She turned away from him and walked as swiftly as she could up to her rooms.

"Miss Granger," he started but she was gone before he could continue.

He turned to the door and as he yelled loudly, threw his closed fist into the hard wood. He heard it splinter and upon closer inspection realized that his knuckles were bleeding. He quickly turned to his rooms and closed the door.


End file.
